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HORSES AND RIDING
BY
EDWARD L. ANDERSON
AUTHOR OF
“Modern Horsemanship,” ‘‘Curb, Snaftle and Spur,”
| Viee-4n-the~Horse--,-Etc.,- Etc.
Illustrated with Forty Half Tone Plates.
Dees CAVALRY ASSOCIATION,
ForRT LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS.
1909.
COPYRIGHT, 1909,
By U.S. CAVALRY ASSOCIATION.
KETCHESON PRINTING COMPANY,
LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS.
© Qug. 10.1404
Cla. 4. 244667
AUG 12 1909
HORSES AND RIDING.
Cieor ek rel:
BREEDS AND FAMILIES OF HORSES
SUITABLE FOR RIDING.
AUREGGIO, the authority on this subject in France,
- says that the Italian cavalry officers are better
mounted than those of any other country. The chargers so
highly commended are Irish weight-carrying hunters, and
cost from $400 upwards. But there is no such breed or even
family by which to identify these horses. They are for the
most part nearly thoroughbreds; but, until a strain is estab-
lished, an excellent result of a cross is really an accident, and
the good qualities of an Irish hunter are due partly to the
judgment of the breeder, partly to climate, and partly to early
training given them in leaping and in climbing obstacles, not
to speak of discretionin buying. At home they are never well
trained saddle horses; but in the hands of Italian horsemen
they soon become thorough chargers capable of wonderful
exertions in crossing a cramped or difficult country, and
4 . HORSES AND RIDING.
there is no better horse for heavy weights than the best of
one of these fortunate chances.
Occasionally the thoroughbred makes a horse that may
be suitable for any purpose, but the blood horse has not the
agility and pliancy that should characterize the perfect hack,
hunter or charger and it is too apt to trip in the walk and in
the slow trot. The writer has trained a number of thor-
oughbreds and usaully found them docile and submissive,
ENDORE. ANGLO-NORMAND.
Propertyof Raoul Balliere,Caen, Normandy. The finest horse in France for Cavalry:
Photographed by the Author,
even such as have been taken from the racing stables; but
their strides are too long and too close to the ground for
safety, although collecting the forces of the extremities tem-
porarily overcomes these faults in the hands of a competent
rider. M. James Fillis and the ecuyers and stallmeisters of
the riding academies may select the blood horse, but this is
written for general riders, and not for the skillful.
Although there is no rule regarding the shares of strains
HORSES AND RIDING. 5
in the Anglo-Normand beyond the requirement that it shall
have at least half of the blood of the thoroughbred, and
many have a very liberal half, it may be accounted as a dis-
tinct breed owing to the homogenity due to what horsemen
call the prepotency of the Normand side. The large horse
represented by the photographs of this work is an Anglo-
Normand from the stud farm of Annecy. The Anglo-Nor-
mand is the handsomest of the large horses and has many
admirable qualities.
The Zaréazs, or horse of Tarbes, was originally a cross of
the Arab upon the horse of the Maz, which was in itself
ANGLO-A RAB.
Purchased by the Italian government.
Photograph by the Author.
largely of Eastern blood, the product being a small animal
of great stamina and activity. But the present Zardais of
the government farms has a large infusion of the English
blood horse, although in the south of France the smaller
horse, Tarbais, Anglo-Arab, and even the Arab, is held in
high estimation. The horse I rode for the gallop-change,
the halt in the gallop, etc., is registered in the stud book as
Anglo-Arab qualifié; that is, it had some of the strains in its
veins of the old stock of the south of France as well as those
of its English and Eastern ancestors.
6 HORSES. AND RIDING:
The more highly bred of the typical Hungarian horses
are nearly thoroughbred with a dash of Eastern blood intro-
duced more recently than the similar strain that is in the
make up of the English race horse. The Hungarian is held
in high esteem for light cavalry and for riders of medium
weight. It has great powers of resistance against changes of
climate and against long continued fast work, for which rea-
sons it is generally considered the most valuable of the
smaller breeds. A cavalry officer who has had a very wide
experience with horses of many varieties told me that he
ANGLO-ARAB. ( Qualiie ).
Property of the Author. Photograph by the Author.
preferred horses of this breed to any others, and that while
they were at first difficult to train they became very trust-
worthy after they had given submission.
The Saré was formed originally by a cross of the horse of
northern Europe, introduced by the Teutonic invaders, upon
the horse of northern Africa. It was long celebrated for its
docility and for its hardiness. These qualities are said to be
retained by the very ‘‘mixed” lot that are still called Barbs,
into which Arab and English strains have been introduced
more or less. Of course there have been, from very early
HORSES AND RIDING. if
times, numbers of desert bred horses, or of their descend-
ants, brought into Africa, and many of these have been kept
more or less pure. ~ I-feel rather certain that the “Barb” an-
cestor of our race horse was one of these Arabs.
In Algiers the French government has endeavored to re-
éstablish the best form of the horse of northern Africa by
HUNGARIAN
From the Zechy Breeding Farm. Photograph by the Author,
forming breeding farms and by arranging a stud-book in
which the pedigree may be entered and preserved.
For grace, beauty, temperament, and every other good
quality that a riding horse should possess there is no breed,
family or strain superior to the Denmarks of the Blue-grass
region of Kentucky. They may not have the speed of the
HORSES AND RIDING.
io 8)
blood horse, the resistance of the Barb, or the stamina of the
Hungarian, but for confidential use they are incomparable.
The inbred Denmarks, and the highest authorities say that
a saddle horse cannot have too many strains of the celebrated
ancestor, must be nearly thoroughbred with, almost elimi-
nated, crosses of the Canadian pacer and the Morgan trotter.
It will be seen that nearly every horse that is held in high
consideration in Europe or in America has a very large pro-
BARB. AMOURANIA,
Algerian Stud Book. Photograph by J. Delton, Paris.
portion of the blood of the thoroughbred, and it is certain
that no other breed has such power of transmitting its good
qualities, or has so many good qualities to transmit. The
writer is not prepared to say that the race horse is deterio-
rating in the efforts of breeders to produce “sprinters” for
short distances, but such competitions as the three and four
mile heat races in which Lexington, Asteroid, Kentucky and
HORSES AND RIDING. 9
many other horses of the middle of the nineteenth century
took part are no longer favored, and it might be difficult to
find rivals should one of the old four-milers reappear with
“Uncle Anson”’ responsible for its condition.
As every thoroughbred must trace its ancestry back to one
of three eastern horses, Darley’s Arabian, Byerly’s Turk or
Godolphin’s Barb, and has in fact the blood of all three in
its veins, it is self-evident that the desert horse has had much
to do in bringing a refining influence upon some coarser but
more useful breed that had existed in England previous to
PURE BLOOD ARAB MARE. KAHUIFA II.
Registered in French Stud Book. Seventh in descent from the tents of Nedj.
Photograph by the Author.
our history of the matter. But whatever may have been the
true origin of the thoroughbred, it has been for more than a
a century the noblest race of its species, and it is infinitely
superior to any horse that has ever appeared in the Orient.
It remains to be said, however, that any strong horse may
be made, by schooling, a very agreeable riding horse, even
when it has slight defects in conformation, for such may be
nullified by careful handling. Indeed the most perfectly
formed horse must be rough and awkward under a rider
until it has been given, or has acquired an artificial bearing
10 HORSES AND. RIDING.
suitable to the unnatural conditions of carrying a burthen
and of having its impulses checked, hampered and harassed
by_bit and spurs.
AMERICAN SADDLE HORSE. STERLING CHIEF.
Property of Colonel J.T. Woodford. Photograph by the Author.
MORSES*ANDTADING. rt
CHAPTER I.
A FEW GENERAL REMARKS UPON RIDING.
I accept, without reservation, the saying of that fine horse-
man, Colonel Vigier von Steinbrugge, that no one may be
considered a rider who does not understand the principles
of Baucher. But Baucher’s meanings are often so obscure
as to require explanation, and, further, in his later writings
he carried theories too far for practical use.
In simple but comprehensive language Baucher’s idea
was to obtain complete and instantaneous obedience from the horse
by the cultivation of the instinctive muscular actions which follow
the application of the hand and heel. ‘This formula wasa stroke
of genius, and proved Baucher to have been the greatest
horsemen that the world has seen. Unfortunately for the
art his contemporary, Comte d’Aure, had the ear of France,
and was the director of the L’école d’ Application de Cavalerie
at Saumur, and this opposition to the finished method of his
rival has had in some ways a bad influence upon general
horsemanship. I think that I can truthfully say that I am
familiar with nearly every work and text book on riding that
carries any weight, from the days of the pupils of Pignatelli
down to the present time; that is, for about four hundred
years, and I do not hesitate to express the opinion that many
of the manuals of the great armies of Europe have always
been, and still are, full of errors and contradictions. The
prime faults being in the rules for demanding the gallop, and
for making the turns and wheels; if these are not evident
to any one who reads the works in question it is not worth
while discussing the matter, although I may explain for the
uninitiated, that their rules for demanding the gallops
among other fallacies would tend to make the horse false in
the changes of direction in that pace. The only book pub-
lished recently in a foreign language that I can recommend
is that of Mr. James Fillis which appeared, I have a right to
remark, four years after I had properly and fully explained
the gallop-change in the 1886 edition of ‘“‘Modern Horse-
12 ‘HORSES AND RIDING.
manship.” It must be noted, however, that although Fillis
is evidently a follower of Baucher his criticisms are really
aimed at some very poor drawings which were intended to
illustrate the work, for Baucher always deprecated the lower-
ing of the head of the horse and the custom of permitting
CAPTAIN CROUSSE OF THE FRENCH ARMY,ON CONSPIRATION.
Winner in 1908 at Paris, Rome and Brussels. Photograph by J. Delton, Paris.
the face to make less then a right angle with the plane of
movement, and in the carefully prepared portrait of the
master upon Partisan, the horse is represented as carrying
its head sufficiently high.
HORSES AND RIDING. 13
When a horse will move smoothly and evenly under its
rider we are approaching that condition of the union of the
- weights and forces of the extremities known as the equilib-
rium. Of course in a state of perfect equilibrium there
would be no motion, but for safety, for obedience and for-
cadenced action there must be a certain approach to the union
and balance of the forces under the rider, and this takes place
f
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? di sammie s
2%
Me on Ct py
CAPTAIN VON PONGRATZ
One of the finest horseman of the Austrian Army.
Photograph by A. Huber, Vienna.
whenever a horse is pleasant to ride, whether the man knew
or did not know how the affair was accomplished. It is the
“fad’’ nowadays, of pretenders to horsemanship, to let the
horse go along in a disunited, slovenly manner; this is not
only an ugly sight but it is dangerous for those who practice
14 HORSES AND. ADIN G,
it. This mode of riding may be seen in Rotten-row, in Cen-
tral Park, and, more especially, on the ride of the Avenue
du Bois in Paris; but real horsemanship is exhibited in the
Concours of Paris, of Brussels and of Vienna by such riders
as MM. Leclerc, Liebenstein, Crousse, von Pongratz and by
hundreds of other gentlemen of intelligence and skill who
maintain the art in its integrity, for horsemanship is an art
that requires study and practice for any proficiency.
f
‘f
i
‘|
. *&
GENERAL VON MITZLAFF.
Superintendent of the Cavalry School at Hanover.
Photograph by Berger, Hanover.
Owing to certain reasons ‘Charre,” the Anglo-Arab
which was employed for the larger number of photographs
in this book, had many interruptions in its training previously
to its appearance before the camera; and it had been ridden
in the open only some six weeks before it was ready to make
the gallop-change and other movements, on the Normandy
coast, as are shown by the pictures. The Anglo-Normand,
trained in Switzerland, had even less attention given to its
HORSES AND RIDING: 15
handling before it was ready for the travers gallop and
other movements in that pace, for it took readily to the
gallop.
The education of a horse can be carried on much more
rapidly by the work on foot, as suggested by Baucher, than
VAULTING INTO THE SADDLE.
Photograph by M. F. A.
by the mounted exercises alone; and I believe that a horse
could be completely trained without the rider mounting, al-
though I have never quite proved that to myself, as I have
always been too desirous of getting upon the back of the
16 . ITORSES AND RIDING.
animal J had in hand in order that I might have the feel of
the saddle.
I once wrote a little work on “‘The Simple Art of Horse-
manship,” but before it reached the hands of an editor I
found that a lady had used the same title in a periodical, and
so my paper, in Country Life in America, was entitled ‘*The
Whole Art of Horsemanship.” The art is in fact extremely
simple, and in half an hour a complete knowledge of its
DISMOUNTING.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
principles should be acquired by any one who has a taste for
riding. It takes long practice to make a good rider, and apti-
tude is necessary for excellence; it is certain that the longer
a beginner sticks to the walk, and studies his position, the
better and stronger will be his seat. I think that proficient
horseman, de Bussigny, was jesting when he said that it re-
quired fifteen years at the walk to give a perfect seat on the
HORSES AND RIDING. 17
horse; but fifteen days will not bring it as many tyros seem
to believe.
It was as long ago as 1857 that Henri Franconi taught me
the method of Baucher; notwithstanding, I find that I ride as
strongly as I ever did, and take as much pleasure in training
young horses as when I began the fascinating work; indeed,
from constant practice in riding and in moderate gymnastics
I am as active as one could wish, and I can vault into the
saddle or leap to the ground without difficulty. It should be
understood that I am an amateur, having no saddle horses for
sale; when an animal proves unsuitable it is sent to the auc-
tioneer and sold anonymously, never to be heard of again.
The echo of a horse deal is seldom agreeable.
I wish to repeat what I have often said, that there-is
neither formidable nor esoteric knowledge in the training of
ahorse. If a proper method is employed pupil and master
proceed without friction and riding is a wholesome, fasci-
nating sport of which a man should never tire until he seeks
the chimney corner and an easy chair.
It is always advisable that the beginner should have a
very steady horse which he will find that he improves with
his own progress, and he will bring the horse up to his skill,
but no further. All horses that are active enough for the
saddle must have plenty of work or they may become too
lively and skittish, and vices often result from the play of a
fresh horse. A skillful rider can always keep his horse
steady with the spur; but there is not one man in a thousand
of those who ride who knows how to use the sharp rowel, or
who has the patience to employ it with that delicacy and
discretion that makes it the powerful instrument that it may
become.
18 HORSES AND RIDING.
CHAPTER All,
THE SEAT OF A HORSEMAN.
In these days we have but one form of saddle-tree, for
sport or pleasure riding, and each man has in it his dest seat
possible; and there are so few differences in the proper posi-
tions that may be taken upon the flat saddle, due only to the
conformation of individuals, that one may say that in all
civilized countries men have the same seat. No longer do
we hear of such absurdities as the ‘“‘tongs across the wall,”
of the “long seat,” or of the “short seat,” for a rider can have
but one seat that is the best for all purposes, and this he can
find the first time he mounts a horse. It is silly for a man
to think it necessary to have one seat for the park or road
and one for cross country, for in the park or on the road the
horse may make movements as violent as it would in the
hunting field or in the steeple chase.
The writer has lived many years in various European
countries and he has been a guest at the military academies
of Saumur, Hanover and Vienna, besides visiting scores of
riding schools in a number of cities, finding nowhere among
real horsemen any observable changes in the position of the
man upon the horse.
Baucher’s description of the seat, written nearly three
quarters of a century since, is the best and clearest that could
be given: ‘Sitting upon the buttocks let the man take every
possible point of contact with the saddle with the flat inner
surfaces of his knee and the inside of his thighs; the feet
finding themselves parallel with the sides of the horse with-
out effort on the part of the man, and the length of stirrup
leathers being adjusted so that the tread of the stirrups
strikes the heels of the man.”
A sure way in which one may find this seat is for the
rider to mount the horse, and, sitting without rigidity, raise
his legs so that the points of the knees meet above the
pommel, then to drop the knees, very gradually, until their
points and the flat inner surfaces of the thighs have every
HORSES AND RIDING. 19
possible point of contact, the lower parts of the legs, from
the knees downwards hanging loosely, untiiit is desired to in-
sert the feet in the stirrup irons, when nothing more than the
balls of the toes should feel the tread of the stirrups, and that
in a light and elastic manner. Firmness of the seat depends
upon the friction against the saddle and the suppleness of
the man’s body, particularly in the loins. Ifa man be not
active he is safer and more comfortable in a motor car or in
an czroplane, two abominations, than upon the back of a
quick horse. But most men of a fair share of agility may
learn to ride with pleasure and comfort at any age, provided
they follow some good method.
Xenophon’s description of the seat, the earliest represen-
tations upon the monuments, the drawings of Fieschi about
1550, the portrait of Louis XIII, that of de la Guériniére by
Parrocel in 1733, and that of Baucher in the first edition of
his work, as well as the photographs of modern riders in this
book, prove that the horseman’s seat has been always and
must have been always the same, except the absurd situa-
tions taken by men in armor who required peculiar saddles
to maintain their positions on the horse, and whose seats,
according to Froissart and other writers, were very insecure.
The seat must always be maintained, but the upper part
of the body must conform to the movements of the horse,
in obedience to the laws of nature for holding the position
upon the saddle, and the lower parts of the legs, from the
knees down, must be under perfect control, and are as of
much use in the management of the horse as are the hands.
That is, as should be apparent to every one, when the fore-
hand of the horse rises, the body of the rider should be bent
forward ; where the hindquarters of the horse are raiséd and
the forehand lowered, the body of the rider should be bent
backwards, and the parts above the hips should bend with
the horse as it turns, depending in amount upon the short-
ness and rapidity of the turns; in other words, the laws of
gravity, of centrifugal and of centripetal forces must be ob-
served as carefully in riding as in walking.
To excel in horsemanship one requires not only aptitude
for the art, but agility, adroitness and readiness. Practice
20 HORSES AND RIDING.
in dancing and in other callisthenic exercises are of great
value in rendering the rider supple and strong; and there
are many gymnastic feats which he may practice with good
effect upon the horse standing in place, or moving; for ex-
ample, leaning forward until one shoulder touches the crest
of the horse; leaning back until his shoulders rest upon the
croup; turning about in the saddle by passing one leg and
then the other over the pommel and over the cantle; vault-
ing upon the horse and leaping to the ground while the
animal rests, or is in motion, and other exercises that should
suggest themselves. In vaulting upon the horse or in dis-
mounting without stirrups, the left hand will seize a lock of
the main half way between the withers and the ears, while
the right hand, thumb under the pommel, will take hold of
the saddle ina firm clasp. In leaping to the ground from a
moving horse the man must be prepared to take some strides
in the direction of the movement, maintaining control of the
horse by the reins held in the right hand.
All of these exercises are very easy after a little practice,
and they add quality to the rider’s skill and confidence, while
they render the horse quiet and accustomed to the sudden
movements of the man. If when the trainer, in the begin-
ning, finds the horse restless he should make the animal ex-
tend the forelegs occasionally, but always before mounting
he should collect the -horse by holding the reins under its
chin and giving a tap or so of the whip upon the rump, so
that the bearer should be properly under the mass before the
man’s weight is upon its back. The more frequently the
horse is handled the more quickly it becomes steady, but no
one exercise should be carried on to a point that will weary
the horse, for young horses, at least, are easily bored and
then become resentful.
HORSES AND RIDING. 21
CHAPTER, LV.
THE UNION AND BALANCE OF THE EXTREMITIES.
I remember reading somewhere of two ‘“supernumer-
aries,’ of jealous dispositions, who spoiled the effect of a
quadrupedal representation upon the stage by a want of co-
ordination between the forelegs of the artificial animal and
its hind legs. Some such result takes place when the young
horse is mounted; for between the restraint of the hand and
the urgency of the spurs or whip, not to mention the un-
accustomed weight of the rider, the forehand and hind-
quarters are for a long time at variance. A young horse is
awkward enough without any interferences, but when the
man mounts it must be given a proper carriage in order that
it may move smoothly and evenly in cadenced motions.
When a horse becomes safe and pleasant to ride it is always
the result of a series of experiments upon the part of the
rider or because it has been scientifically handled by a trainer
who had a good method. In the first case one could never
have perfection, but a thorough horseman can make the
animal he trains a machine that answers every demand, on
the moment and precisely.
To obtain this codrdination of the extremities a few
lessons on foot are of great use, although a horse may be
trained from the saddle or, as I have intimated, without
having been mounted. The normal and usual process, how-
ever, is the following:
The essential thing is that the horse is to go forward.
Even when the animal is made to back it must be induced
to take a stride, or at least an inclination, forward before it
is permitted to come toa rest. Sothe young horse is first
ridden in the snaffle and made ‘‘to go into the bridle;”’ that
is, to move forward freely against a tension upon the reins.
The horse having been brought “quiet to ride’’ in the
snaffle is ready for the higher education; and, as has been
said, more rapid advancement can be made by a few lessons
with the man on foot than by his riding the animal as soon
22 HORSES AND RIDING.
as the double-reined bridle is employed; for no horsecan be
trained without bit and bridoon, unless it be in the snaffle
alone in the hands of an exceptional horseman, when much
reliance must be placed upon the assistance of the spurs in
its control.
The following exercises are called the suppling lessons,
and by them we overcome all resistances of the horse, whether
active (intentional) or passive (due to conformation), so that
the horse is pliant and obedient throughout.
DIRECT FLEXION OF JAW AND Pou. (Anglo-Normand).
Photograph by M. F.A.
The first work is upon the forehand, or those parts of
the horse before the saddle. The trainer standing in front
of the horse should take a snaffle rein in each hand and ele-
vate the head to the full extent of his arms, and then grad-
ually and gently bring it back to such a height that seems
to him the natural carriage of the head, demanding, without
HORSES AND RIDING. 23
violence, that the face should be about vertical to the plane
of position. Then standing on either side of the horse near
its shoulder, he should draw the snaffle reins away from the
nose of the horse with one hand while with the other he
should by gentle vibrations draw the curb reins, held under
its chin, towards its chest, yielding the snaffle reins as the
animal gives its jaw and drops its nose until the face is
about vertical. When the horse curls the upper lip and has
a perfectly pliant, but not lifeless, feeling upon the reins
BENDING HEAD AND NEOK WITH CURB BIT.
Photograph by M. F. A.
the objects of these two lessons have been accomplished.
In these exercises the face of the horse should not be drawn
nearer to the chest than the vertical position mentioned, and
the head should rather be higher than the natural carriage
than otherwise. Regarding the next exercise I feel bound
to say that it has aroused much opposition from those riders
and trainers who think that the horse should be kept straight
under all circumstances; but as I have found it so valuable in
many ways and required for so many important movements,
24 HORSES AND RIDING.
and as I have the support of horsemen of the first force, I do
not hesitate to recommend it as absolutely necessary. Stand-
ing at the head of the horse, onits right side, the man should
grasp the reins of the curb bit near the branches and turn
‘the bit by pushing with the right hand, while drawing the
left hand towards him; in this manner he should gently and
quietly bend the head of the horse to the left, and then by
an equal, vibratory tension upon both reins procure the pli-
ancy of the jaw and of the neck, as before described. In
a similar way, the man standing on the left side of the horse
should bend its head to the right. After it has been bent
sufficiently to satisfy the trainer, the head of the horse should
be placed straight, and the direct flection of the jaw be
demanded, and the horse should be encouraged in its obe-
dience. At no time during these lessons should the horse be
permitted to draw back without being brought to its original
position and corrected by the voice, or be made to advance
by a gentle tap of the whip upon the chest. It might be as
well to mention here that, at this stage of its education, the
horse should never be given punishment with the whip, or
be struck on the hind legs. There are times when a sharp
blow of the whip has a very good effect, say, when a horse
pretends to shy, or gives a kick at whip or spur, but bya
second application or by further strokes only mischief will
follow, and the whip, instead of being an “aid,” becomes a
danger, for the horse is a determined fighter and will seldom
Seive. Wi.”
Two very simple exercises, with the trainer on foot, pre-
pare the way for obtaining control of the hind quarters, or
those parts of the horse behind the saddle. 1. Let the man
stand on either side of the head of the horse and with the
snaffle reins held under its chin keep the animal in place, as
he gives some gentle taps of the whip upon the croup, so
that the horse will carry the hind legs under the body.
After one or two lessons the whip taps should be applied to
one or the other hip, so that the horse will carry forward the
right or the left hind leg as may be desirable. 2. To carry
the croup about the forehand, let the man stand at the left
shoulder of the horse, and in the left hand hold the snaffle
HORSES AND RIDING, 25
reins under the chin of the animal; then with the right hand
let him give one tap, or more, of the whip to the left flank
until one step is taken tothe right. Gradually, step by step,
the croup will be carried about the forehand, the left foreleg
acting as pivot, the right foreleg being moved to conform to
the movement by whip taps upon its under side. Ina simi-
lar manner the horse should be made, by gradual lessons, to
CrRoUP ABOUT FOREHAND. LEFT FORELEG THE Pivor.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
carry the croup to the left, around the right foreleg as pivot,
the man standing on the right side of the horse, demanding
each step singly and refusing to accept a voluntary move-
ment.
During the period of these lessons which should occupy
about half an hour each day, the horse should be exercised
sufficiently upon the longe line, and by being ridden at the
26 HORSES AND RIDING.
walk and slow trot in the snaffle bridle. In the latter case
the horse should be accustomed to the pressure of the rider’s
heels, by being collected for the changes of direction upon a
closing of the rider’s legs, and, at the turn, being made to
conform to the arc of the circumference by an increased
pressure of the outside heel; the direct rein, supported and
its effects measured by the outside rein, demanding the turn,
an equal tension upon the reins following its completion.
When the suppling exercises have resulted in a pliancy
of the muscles and in a ready obedience to the whip taps the
horse is to be ridden in the double-reined bridle, and by
governing the extremities, between heels and hand, the
rider will gradually produce the desired condition of xunzon
and balance of the weights and forces, and so be master of any
movement—forwards, to the rear or to either hand—that
he may wish.
When there is a perfect state of union and balance of the
forces there can be no motion, and changes of position are
made by one extremity yielding sufficiently to produce the
effect sought. In violent actions the center of gravity is
changed with a corresponding violence, as in the rapid paces
or in leaping, rearing or plunging. But the schooled horse
is instinctively obedient to the rider, and only those move-
ments take place that he demands. Not only can the rider
require from the trained horse of good conformation every
possible movement, but faults of conformation may be cor-
rected by an artificial carriage so that nearly every horse may
be brought to move in easy, smooth and cadenced paces and
motions. Indeed it may be stated that any horse with four
good legs can be made safe and pleasant to ride, while the
ideally formed horse must ever be awkward under a rider
until it is given an artificial carriage.
HORSES AND RIDING. 27
CHAPTER V.
THE SPUR—IN HAND—CLOSELY UNITED—THE HALF HALT—
DHE REINS:
Ordinarily the spur isa hindrance rather than an aid. A
horse either shrinks from the sharp rowel or breaks away
unless, as sometimes happens, it becomes a sluggard and has
to be kicked along to keepit-going Properly employed the
spur is an important, and in some cases is more important,
than the bit; for examp‘e, in stopping a “bolt”; but in any
event it is indispensable in the management of a horse, and
in the use of a true horseman gives at the outset no more
than a scratch, for after a few brief lessons the application of
the sharp rowel is no longer required, as the side of the
rider's heel or the pressure of his leg will be all that is nec-
essary. The most nervous horse can readily be taught to
bear and to obey the sharp spur with composure; and such
a state of affairs gives an assurance of safety to the rider in
many ways, for the horse will neither rush off upon an acci-
dental scratch nor refuse to obey his demands. No one can
give the proper application of the spur whose seat is not
perfect, for no matter how violent the changes of the center
of gravity may be the rowel should be used with such pre-
cision that, at most, only a scratch is made. But the trained
horse would on occasion take and obey a severe use of the
aid without resentment. During the early lessons under the
saddle the horse should be taught to obey the heel of the
rider, a tap of the whip upon the flank sometimes being re-
quired to enforce the pressure of the heel. After the horse
has been accustomed to this form of the “leg aid” dull spurs
may be used fora while. Then the horse should be ready
to accept the sharp rowel, and upon the occasion of a lesson
the rider should give a slight scratch upon one flank with
the points and calm the horse by soothing words or by strokes
of the hand. After an interval the other flank should receive
a similar attack and the horse be quieted in the same man-
ner. After a few such lessons the horse will not require the
28 HORSES AND RIDING.
sharp rowel, and the dulled spur or the side of the rider’s
heel will be obeyed with alacrity and precision.
The horses employed for the photographs in this work
were ridden in spurs that had no sharp rowels, and I may
say that blood had never been drawn from them by the spur.
The forehand of the horse being under the control of
the rider, and the hindquarters being under the control of
his heels, the man may readily demand such a union and
balance of the extremities as he desires. A rule that must
always be observed is that the effects of the heels should
always precede those of the hand, for the hand must always
have impulses from the croup to direct and manage.
The lowest form of collection in which lies safety and
comfort is that which is known as “in hand,” that is, when
the motions of the horse are at least obedient to the rider’s
will.
If one mounts a horse, whose education has been carried
as has been described, and quietly closes his legs against its
sides before making a few vibrations of the reins, the horse
will bring its bearers under the mass, drop its nose, yield the
jaw, and show by the play of muscles under the rider that it
is alert and ready to move off “in hand.” <A gentle yielding
of the hand permits the horse to proceed in a walk, and then
between heels and hand the rider should keep the weights
and forces in the condition explained. Should the horse
bear upon the hand and go too much upon its shoulders it
should have the hind legs brought up under the body and
the head slightly elevated. The horse should be ridden “in
hand” at the walk, the trot and the slow gallops; the heels
of the rider demanding sufficient impulses from the hind-
quarters, his hand directing and controlling these impulses,
while between the heels and hand the proper balance and
suppleness should be demanded.
A closer form of collection may be required and the in-
creased impulses will go into increased action, when we shall
have the shortened trot, the passage, or the school gallop of
four beats. When the extremities are brought to a state of
equilibrium, there can be no progress, and we shall have the
= tea? -
HORSES AND RIDING. 29
half-halt, the finished halt, or, if action is demanded, the
dancing steps known as “the piaff.’’
The half-halt can be held but a moment, while the horse
is light and one leg at least is flexed. When all the feet are
on the ground the horse has lost its lightness and the halt is
complete.
When the horse is brought to a halt, the rider’s legs
HALF HALT. THE HORSE IS PREPARED TO GO FORWARD OR TO THE REAR.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
should not be withdrawn until the tension upon the reins
has ceased.
There are a number of ways in which the reins of the
double-bridle may be held. In riding a young or a difficult
horse, I hold in the left hand the left curb rein between the
30 HORSES AND RIDING.
little finger and the ring finger, the left snaffle rein between
the ring finger and the long finger, thumb uppermost; in
the right hand, knuckles upwards, I hold the two right reins
divided by the forefinger, the snaffle rein next to the thumb.
In this way one has great control over the mouth of the horse
by the direct reins, and the right reins can easily be shifted
into the left hand.
UNITED OR SOHOOL GALLOP OF FouR BEATS.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
In riding a schooled horse I carry all the reins in the left
hand; the curb reins divided by the little finger, the snaffle
reins divided by the long finger, the loose ends carried
through the hand and held by the thumb which is upper-
most and pointing between the ears of the horse. The right
——— eee
HORSES AND RIDING. 31
hand lying on the ends of the reins, when not otherwise in
use, and ready to assist the bridle hand.
There should not be a tension upon both sets of reins at
the same time; that is, when the snaffle reins are in use the
curb reins have no tension,and the snaffle reins are loose when
the curb reins are in action. In riding with the left hand
alone the turn to the left should be made by turning the
thumb over the left shoulder of the horse and then by carry-
ing the reins to the left. In turning tothe right, the thumb
should point towards the right shoulder of the rider and then
the reins should be carried to the right. By this mode the
danger of giving a wrong indication is avoided, and in de-
manding the gallop and the gallop turns and changes the
direct rein controls the movements from the beginning, and
there can be no confusion in the demands of the rider.
When the right hand is free it should assist so that the direct
rein acts in changes of direction, in beginning the gallop,
and in the gallop turns and changes, because it is well to
keep the horse accustomed to obeying the direct rein, and
because the other rein can in this way better measure and
control the effects of the direct rein.
In reducing speed and in coming toa stop the rider should
increase the pressure of his heels and slightly raise his bridle
hand andit must be borne in mind that the horse should
always be brought to a finished halt by the action of heels
followed by that of the hand, the tension upon the reins
being loosened before the heels are withdrawn.
32 HORSES AND RIDING.
CHAPTER. V1.
MOVEMENTS TO THE REAR.
A horse fit for riding should back freely and smoothly.
The first lesson, and a very important one it is, should be
given while the trainer is on foot. Placing the horse along-
side of a wall the man should hold the snaffle reins under
the chin of the horse with one hand and with the other hand
give a few taps with the whip upon the rump to unite some-
what the extremities. Then by a repeated tap of the whip
upon the rump, the trainer should produce an impulse and
carry the flexed leg to the rear ove step, immediately induc-
ing a forward movement. Gradually, very gradually, the
horse should be taught to take several steps to the rear
always being induced to go forward before coming to halt.
In other words, at the point where the backing ceases and
the forward movement begins there should be no decided
halt, but the body of the animal should drift like a pendu-
lum, backwards and forwards, and then the stop.
After a few such lessons the rider should mount, and
after bringing the horse in hand, between heels and rein, he
should increase the pressure of his legs until he feels an im-
pulse when he should release his heels and carry back the
flexed leg one step, then stop the movement by his heels
and demand a step or two forward and finally a halt. As
gradually as the rider’s patience will permit, and a horse-
man should be fitted out with unceasing patience, the steps
to the rear should be increased until the horse will move in
a balanced and cadenced movement as far as may be desired ;
at least one step forward always being required before a halt.
Before many days the horse may be made to pass to the
rear without any touch upon the reins, by the use of the
spurs and the position of the body of the rider.
In backing, the turns and changes of direction may be
made with the same precision as in the forward movements,
the croup being turned to the left by the right spur and the
right rein, measured and controlled by the left spur and the
HORSES AND RIDING. 33
left rein; and the croup is turned to the right by an inter-
change of spurs and reins.
I have often been asked by beginners how it is that the
spur demands the forward movement, the halt, and the pass-
ing to the rear; all of which can be procured without the
employment of the reins after a little practice.
BACKING WITH THE SPURS.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
This question may be answered by the statement that the
spur requires impulses from the croup which first carry the
hind legs under the mass. If the hand gives permission the
horse moves forward under the impulses; if the forehand is
34 HORSES AND RIDING.
raised and the body of the rider is thrown back the hind legs
come under the body and act as-an elastic break or drag; if
the impulse be caught and turned back before the movement
forward is made the horse goes lightly to the rear.
BACKING WITH SPURS, WITHOUT TENSION UPON REINS.
Photograph by Mary Woods.
Now after this explanation it should be understood that
during the lessons in which the reins are employed the horse,
HORSES AND RIDING. 35
which is a very observant animal, learns how the rider uses
his body in the various movements and will be ready to obey
the spurs, nor does it always require the action of the reins
which never precede that of the heels.
It now occurs to me to explain the difference between a
step and a stride. A stride is the ground covered by the
mass from the moment any certain foot leaves the earth
until it is again planted; example: in gallop right a stride is
from the time the right hind leg drives the mass over the
right foreleg into air until the same hind leg again comes
to the ground. A step is the raising and next planting of
any leg; for example: in beginning to move the croup about
the forehand the horse may take one step with one of the
hind legs, the other legs holding the ground.
36 HORSES AND RIDING.
CHAPTE RINT.
ON TWO PATHS—FOREHAND ON OUTER CIRCUMFERENCE OR
TRAVERS — CROUP ON OUTER CIRCUMFERENCE OR
RENVERS — PIROUETTE— REVERSED PIROUETTE.
Travers and Renvers are the movements upon two paths,
the forehand following one path; the croup, slightly behind
in the movement, following the other path, in such a man-
ner that the horse is placed diagonally across the line of
progress. When at the turns and changes of direction the
forehand is on the outer arc of the circles we have the
Travers. When the croup is on the outer arc of the circles
in the turns we have the Renvers.
When in Travers the turn is so short that the inner hind
leg of the horse acts as pivot, we have the Pirouette, or, if
in the beat of the gallop, the Pirouette-volte.
When in the Renvers the turn is so short that the outside
foreleg of the horse acts as pivot, we have the Reversed
Pirouette.
In the lessons on Croup about Forehand, with the whip,
we have prepared the horse to yield the croup at the pres-
sure of the rider’s heel, and these effects will now be em-
ployed for all the movements on two paths, whether Travers,
Renvers, Pirouette or Reversed Pirouette.
The readiest way in which to begin the work upon two
paths is to place the head of the horse near a wall, the fore-
hand slightly in advance of the croup as regards the lines of
progress, let us say to the right. The rider should then lead
the animal along to the right, while with his left heel, its
effect measured and controlled by the right heel, should press
the hindquarters along as the body of the horse holds its
diagonal position across the lines of progress.
In making the turn to the right, the croup on the inner
shorter arc of a circumference should be slightly retarded so
that at every point of the body of the horse shall hold its
diagonal position. In head tothe wall tothe left the forehand
HORSESSAND, RIDING. 37
in advance of the croup, should, in a similar manner, be led
on to the left by the reins, the hindquarters being pushed by
the rider’s right heel, its effect measured and controlled by
his left heel. At the turns to the left the forehand being on.
the outer greater arcs of the circumference, the croup will
be retarded, as in. passing to the right. The effects of the
DRIFTING, FORWARD AND BAOK. BALANCE BETWEEN SPUR AND REIN.
Photograph by Mary Woods.
rider’s heels in these movements may be supported in the
early lessons by light taps of the whip,and to apply the whip
to the left flank of the horse the man may carry it behind his
back, or he may shift the reins to his right hand and take
the whip in his left. But as soon as the horse begins to un-
38 HORSES AND RIDING.
derstand the heel pressure the use of the whip should be
discontinued.
Croup to the wall, or Travers to either hand, is done in ex-
actly the same manner, the forehand slightly in advance of
the hindquarters, but in Travers, as the hindquarters are on
the outside larger arc or circle, at the turns, the forehand
USE OF WHIP IN BENDING CROUP ABOUT FOREHAND TO THE RIGHT.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods
must be so retarded that the diagonal position of the body of
the horse shall be preserved at every point on the turns or
circles.
These lessons should be practiced at the walk until the
horse is quite perfect in both Travers and Renvers in that
HORSES AND RIDING. 59
pace, then it should be made to pass in two paths in the trot
and finally in the shortened gallop.
As has been said when the turns, in the walk, in the trot
or in the gallop, are so abrupt that in Travers the inner hind
leg acts as pivot we have the Pirouette. When the turns
USE OF THE WHIP IN TRAVERS. (ANGLO-NORMAND).
Photograph by the Author.
in Renvers are so abrupt that the outer foreleg acts as a pivot
we shall have the Reversed Piroutte; that is, when the croup
passes to the right about the left fore leg as a point we shall
have the Reversed Pirouette to the right. Inasimilar man-
ner, when the croup passes about the forehand to the left so
40 HORSES AND RIDING.
that the right foreleg acts as pivot we shall have the Re-
versed Pirouette to the left.
In all work in Travers and in Renvers the head of the
horse should be slightly bent in the direction of progress; so
RENVERS. ON Two PATHS TO THE LEFT.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
that in the Reversed Pirouette the horse should look towards
the croup as it goes about the forehand.
All of these movements upon two paths, including the
pirouettes, are of the highest importance to all of those who
a
HORSES AND RIDING. 41
are to be considered as horsemen, and to mounted soldiers
they are absolutely essential, for the trooper who has the
PIROUETTE. RIGHT HIND LEG THE PIVOT.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
readiest horse in turns and wheels has his opponent in his
hands.
42 HORSES AND RIDING.
To those who argue that the bending lessons are not only
useless but harmful, I can only say that I have found that
the more supple-and pliant I can make my horses the more
readily I can keep them straight when it is required; and
the precision with which all the movements were made,
REVERSED PIROUETTE. LEFT FORELEG THE PIVOT.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
whether straight or bent, is proved by the scores of moment
photographs of half a score of horses, printed in ‘Modern
Horsemanship,” in “ Riding,” in “ The Cavalry of To-morrow,”
in this book, and in my various magazine articles, for in each
picture the position is exactly right.
HORSES AND RIDING. 43
CHAPTER Vili;
Rib GAMELOP. Lika GALvOPTCMANGE.. Eth Ata: Ne TEE
GALLOP.
In the gallop the horse, in each stride, goes into air from
a fore foot; the opposite hind leg is then planted, then the
fore leg diagonally opposed to the last named, and finally the
first fore leg from which it goes into air for another stride.
The horse is said to lead with the fore leg from which it
leaves the ground, and that leg and the hind leg of the same
side are planted in front of the other fore leg and the other
hind leg respectively. That is when the horse is leading
with the right fore leg, it is said to be zz gallop right, and that
leg and the right hind leg are planted in front of the left
fore leg and of the left hind leg. In gallop left, the horse
goes into air from the left fore leg, and the legs of that side
precede, in each stride, the legs of the right side.
In turning in the gallop to either hand, the horse should
lead with the side to which it turns so that a bearer will
always be under the center of gravity or ready to receive
the weight. If in turning to the left, the horse be in gallop
right, the animal may fall as the outside legs will be the ad-
vanced ones, and there will be no bearer quite under the
center of gravity at a critical moment.
When the second hind leg and its diagonally disposed
fore leg come to the ground so nearly together as to make
one sound we have the ordinary gallop of three beats.
When in extended form the racing horse plants one leg
after another like a spoke of a wheel, we have an example
of the gallop of four beats; and when in the shortened
gallop the horse is so closely united, and its body so sup-
ported that the hind leg which is planted second comes to
the ground before the diagonally disposed fore leg, we have
another example of the gallop of four beats.
44 HORSES AND KIDING,
The horse should not be made to gallop until it has been |
taught to move in the various forms of collection in the walk
and in the trot; otherwise it will be difficult to procure a
cadenced gallop in such conditions of the union of forces as
are desirable.
To put the horse into right gallop, from the halt, the
walk or the trot, the rider should unite the extremities
somewhat and increase the pressure of the left heel while
giving an upward play with the right rein; the other heel
and the other rein measuring and controlling the acting
GALLOP RIGHT.
Anglo Normand, trained and ridden by the Author,
heel and rein so that the horse will go into the gallop as
straight as may be. Once the gallop is taken the rider will
maintain the impulses with the heels and control them with
the reins so that the pace shall be even regular and cadenced.
The gallop left should be demanded by the right spur
and the left rein, controlled and measured by the other spur
and right rein. When a horse turns to the right (or left)
in gallop left (or right) it is fa/se. When one extremity has
WORSE S AND ‘RIDING. 45
galloped right (or left) and the other extremity gallop left
(or right) it has the cross gallop, which is wrong.
For some time until it is confirmed in obedience, the
horse should be ridden in the gallop in the state known as
in hand, afterwards the collection should be closer until the
shortened gallop, the half-halt, and the halt in the gallop
may be demanded. Finally the rider may extend the horse
in as rapid a pace as he desires, bringing it gradually toa
controlled pace before he comes to a halt.
GALLOP RIGHT.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
It should always be borne in mind, that, unless some un-
expected occasion rises, the speeds should. be gradually re-
duced by the action of the heels and hand, and the halt be
made from the walk. But the halt may be made in any
stride of the gallop, by the rider closing his heels and rais-
ing the bridle hand, without danger of injury to the horse;
for the flexed hind legs are carried under the mass in such
a manner that there is no jar. I have been riding trained
46 HORSES AND RIDING.
horses for more than half a century, and I have never hada
horse throw a spavin, and my horses last well; one was per-
fect for fifteen years. Indeed the work of bending keeps
them supple and active long after the age that horses usu-
ally become useless for the saddle.
The horse should be ridden in the gallop upon straight
lines, in changes of direction to either hand, upon two paths,
reducing the circles of Travers until the pirouette in the
beat of the gallop results, and in figures of eight.
Most of these movements may require the changes of
RACING GALLOP.
* lead, and that performance, which formerly was looked upon
as a mere foiir de force of the masters, is now so well under-
stood that no man with any pretention to horsemanship,
should fail to demand it at any stride.
The gallop change was first described, and a photograph
of the movement was first made public in the second edition
of my ‘‘Modern Horsemanship”? which was published in
1886.
The horse may change in the gallop in either of two
ways. It may make the change in the order of the fore legs
HORSES AND RIDING. 47
first, as they are freed from the ground, in which case there
will bea false half-stride until the hind legs make the change.
Or, more properly and safely, it may make the change com-
GALLOP CHANGE FROM RIGHT TO LEFT.
(The right hind leg will next be planted.)
Photograph by Mary Woods.
plete in one stride by changing the order of the hind legs
as they are freed from the ground, beginning this change
48 HORSES AND RIDING.
while the forehand has the weight of the mass; for after the
forehand leaves the ground the hind legs are already commttted to
a certain stride. It is this latter mode that horseman require
in changing lead, for in the turns and wheels the mass will
then have a bearer under the centre of gravity.
Most horses can be taught the gallop change in a very
HALT IN GALLOP’STRIDE.
Photograph by Dorothy Woods
,’
short time, the very high “steppers” only proving difficult,
for the lower and more languid the action, the more readily
the horse acquires the swing of the gallop change. ©
To teach the horse the changes of lead in the gallop, it
must first be taught to take gallop right and gallop left with
HORSES AND RIDING. 49
precision and composure. Then the man will put the horse
in gallop right (or left) and after a dozen strides or so, bring
it to a trot, and then demand the gallop left (or right).
Gradually the trotting steps should be eliminated, and
the change be made during a half-halt; and, finally, the
WHEEL IN GALLOP RIGHT,
Photograph by Dorothy Woods.
half-halt should be unobserved, and the change be demanded
in the beat of the pace. The speed must not be great, and
the aids must be applied with quietness and exactness; the
heel as the rearmost hind leg is leaving the ground, the rein
50 HORSES AND RIDING.
giving an upward play as the forehand rises. That is to
make the change from gallop right to gallop /eft, the right
heel of the rider should give its effect as the left hind leg is
leaving the ground and there should be a light upward play
of the left rein as the forehand is about to rise, so that the
left fore leg will be advanced. The change from gallop /eft
to gallop vzght should be made in the same manner by
means of the left heel and the right rein. The opposite
heel and the opposite rein should, as in all other cases,
govern and measure the effects of the acting heel and rein.
GALLoe Upon Two PATHS TO THE RIGHT.
( Anglo Normand, trained and ridden by the Author.)
Photograph by M. F. A.
To demand the halt in the gallop, the horse should first
be taught to come to the stop by the pressure of the rider’s
heels and the raising of his hand as his body is bent back-
wards in the walk and in the trot. Then, in some gallop
stride, as the forehand is dropping, the man should lean
back, press his heels against the flank of the horse and raise
his bridle hand, so that as the weight is taken upon the ad
vanced fore leg the hind legs will go under the mass and
check the momentum and the halt will be completed in one
HORSES AND RIDING. 51
stride. A member of my family took a number of photo-
graphs as I halted “Charre” in the gallop, and all were suc-
cessful representations of the movement. As may be under-
stood, twenty-six years experience in photographing moving
horses, have produced an expertness that it would be diffi-
cult to find in a professional photoghapher. Except in the
gallop change we seldom have to repeat an experiment to
obtain what is required, and in the picture representing the
gallop change in this book, but one shot was taken.
52 HORSES AND RIDING,
CHAPTER! IX.
A CITIZEN’S DUTY TO RIDE. THE AUTOMOBILE AND THE
AIR SHIP IN WAR.
It is the duty of every citizen, who is so situated that he
can do so, to practice horsemanship, so that when called
upon for the defense of his country he may be able to join a
mounted corps, for even if all such appeared, we should
not have too many mounted infantry and cavalry or trained
artillery. The government should furnish good young
horses at half the original cost to the trustworthy men, who
will agree to serve in the militia regiments, the money thus
expended to be returned to the purchaser in ten yearly in-
stallments. At the end of the ten years the militia-man
should own the horse outright to do with it as he pleased;
in the meantime the purchaser should have the horse for
any proper use, on the farm or for draught, or riding pur-
soses, with the understanding that he and the horse shall
appear for the annual drill and inspection. This is the
method followed in Switzerland, and it works perfectly in a
country not nearly so wealthy as ours, but composed of men
so honest that no loss beyond reasonable wear and tear is
borne by the tax payer, after the first cost. The Swiss army,
I may say, is not only a model for all citizen soldiery, but is
an effective force even in these days of advanced prepara-
tion for the great cause.
The automobile may be of some service in the future as
a draught engine in rear of troops; but for many reasons it
will be of little or no service as an engine of attack, a few
trenches across a road or some slight obstructions due to the
topography of the country would render it useless. Of
course, if a leader should array his troops upon a well kept,
level lawn the squadrons of autos would make havoc among
men and horses, and I have seen those protected machines,
armed with quick firing guns, that might do some damage
to men who would expose themselves.
————— ae
HORSES AND RIDING. 53
That the air ship may become a menace to border cities
is already evident, but there must always be a limit to their
powers and for a party to leave its base for any real distance
in an air ship must prove the most disastrous end of all “for-
lorn hopes.”
MAN AT ARMS. TIME OF CHARLES VII.
( The first enlisted Cavalry.)
Mary Woods d’apres de Noirmont.
So far from our having reached the age when mounted
men can no longer be effective a little reflection should con-
vince any one acquainted with the history of arms, that we
54 HORSES AND RIDING.
are now entering upon an epoch when the horseman will
hold a very important place in wars.
For thousands of years before cavalry appeared, the
ESTRADIAT. MOORISH PLUNDERER. TIME OF CHARLES VIII.
(The fore-runner of Light Cavalry.)
From an old print furnished by Hautecau, Paris.
horse was used for harness only; and the charge in battle
was made by chariots. When, a few centuries before our
era, the horseman came upon the scene (men without armor
HOKSES‘*AND- RIDING. 55
or clothed in leather, having no saddles beyond a cloth ora
pelt) the frightful chariot with its scythe-armed wheels grad-
ually fell into “ harmless desuetude.”
When complete steel armor was introduced, the knights
had everything their own way, and unless some archer or
pikeman found a break in the metal, a battle had for them
little more danger than the present football match has for a
player.
In August 1119, a body of knights under Louis le Gros,
King of France, met a similar band under Henry I, King of
England, upon a beautiful plain near Rouen, and after con-
tending through a long summer's day, could show only three
men, hors du combat, smothered, likely enough, in their
casques where they fell. In such battles the knights made
up the list of prisoners for ransom, the archers, pikeman and
varlets made up the roll of those who fell upon the field of
glory.
The sword had its bright days in the early part of the
seventeenth century, when such heroes as Gustavus Adol-
phus, Tilly, Wallenstein, Mansfeld, Christian of Brunswick,
the pious Cardinals of Valette and Richelieu, and that
splendid soldier of fortune de Gassion, used Europe as a
chess board for their armies.
The Cuirassiers of that time had complete armor, and
carried long blades that would do the work of an executioner.
The Carabiniers, protected by the demi-cuirass, bore heavy
flint lock arms, and the picturesque Mousquetaires were a
sort of mounted infantry, while the dragoons were held only
as light cavalry, and the advanced posts were watched by
uncovered men on quick horses. But gun powder knocked
off the armor and since then ‘“Fitzjames’s blade was sword
and shield.”
The arms of precision carry farther now than ever be-
fore should not lead any one to think that the days of cav-
alry, pure and simple are over. Forty years ago the rifle
would kill at the distance of a mile and that did not prevent
cavalry attacking infantry. Repeating arms increase the
shower of projectiles and improved tactics decrease their
peril.
56 HORSES AND RIDING.
Believe me that the horsemen of our day and those of
our descendents will charge with as much vigor and success
as ever before. They will not be led across the fire swept
plain, where perhaps every living thing would go down in
the last thousand yards, but in war there will be always op-
portunties for horsemen, well led, to get in on their enemies
with the sword or lance.
Finally, let me say, with Sir William Napier, that the
soldier is one who offers his life for peace and protected
homes.
HORSES AND RIDING. 57
CHAP BERS &X&.
RIDING SCHOOLS AND RIDING MASTERS. GOOD AND BAD
HORSES.
I have several editions of Baucher’s method, among them
a copy of the first, but it is really to the instruction of Henri
Franconi that I owe my knowledge of the Master’s theories.
The writings of Fillis are clear, and any one should profit
by them. Only the other day, I picked up a book in the
shop of Legoupy of Paris, in which I found many things of
interest, and I am ashamed to say that I cannot be certain of
the name of the author, but what I wished to quote from,
was that in describing the horse of the Midi the author
warns his readers that the animal ‘“‘must be treated like a
gentleman.” I have nosentimental feelings towards animals,
but I deprecate cruel usage of those we have in our power,
and such treatment is as useless as it is wrong. The spur
and whip are to be employed as aids to carry the demands
of the rider, but their applications are to be of the slightest
character, and it is very seldom that the sharp rowel is re-
quired to touch the horse. Some of the foremost horsemen
of Europe are very hard upon their horses, and they give a
very bad example to those who admire their skill and cour-
age. There are occasions when a sharp stroke of the whip
may send a horse by an object that inspires its fear, but re-
peated blows will only irritate the animal and probably spoil
ab;
Writers upon horsemanship of the present day may con-
gratulate themselves upon being clearer in their instructions
than were their predecessors. Some persons pretend to
understand Xenophon, soldier and statesman, whose work is
the earliest extant, and whose instructions, so far as they are
clear, are suitable to this day. But after an interval of two
thousand years we come upon the Italian Pignatelli, that
great teacher whose scholars carried the renaissance of
the art throughout Europe, and whose writings are suffi-
ciently obscure. Grisoni, whose book was printed in 1552,
58 HORSES AND RIDING.
and Count Fiaschis whose amusingly illustrated work saw
the light four years later, could have been of no service. I
have a copy of both books; that of Fiaschi’s has prints in
reproductions of pen and ink sketches under the figures of
which are noted the songs the rider should sing to suggest
the various movements. Pluvinel was the instructor of
Louis XIII, and brought that Monarch to be one of the first
horsemen of his day. Pluvinel’s sumptuous work, with
fc PE Lect sii.
SI X Mel MY we
“eth ah hay ah ahhty ahahhay
CuT FROM COUNT FIASCHIS’ WORK.
Count Frischi was a pupil of Piquetelli in 1550.
portraits of the King, was published in 1623, and it is in ap-
pearance, the finest book that has ever appeared upon the
subject. The work of de la Guériniére, one of the equerries
of Louis XV, is also a splendidly made volume published in
1733, with drawings by the court painter Parrocel. The
Duke of Newcastle, after the defeat of the royal forces by
Cromwell near York, went to the Continent and studied the
HORSES AND RIDING. 59
art in the neighborhood of Paris. He was thought to excel
all horsemen of his day, and his work on the training of the
great horse, as the managed charger was called, had a great
vogue. The first edition was issued from Antwerps in
French, and many others followed. Previously many Eng-
lishmen had gone to the Continent to study the French
method of schooling horses, among them the biographer of
the pious Henry VIII, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, the noble-
man who left his wife because she refused ‘to draw the
Louis XIII IN THE LIsTs.
From Pluyenel’s Work.
cradle over her head” by taking part of her fortune to make
provisions for their heir. Henry VIII, by the way imported
two of Pignatelli’s pupils, but they left little impression
upon the riding of their adopted country, and Newcastle
was the last of the English who knew anything of horse-
manship, as is witnessed by the writings of Lord Pembroke
and of all who have followed them.
None of these old works are of any value, and Baucher’s
60 HORSES AND RIDING.
method which appeared about the middle of the last century,
is the foundation of all that is good in the art, for even those
who attack it show its value, and any reasonable man should
recognize the importance of governing the horse through its
instinctive yielding rather than by trusting to its good dis-
position.
Does it not seem senseless for men to ride badly for
many years, in fact throughout the active parts of their
DE LA GUERINIERE. 1733.
(Equerry of Louis XV.)
From the Author’s Work.
lives, when a little care and practice would make them fair,
if not good, horsemen. There is a wide spread idea that
the sportsman neglects all the refinements of horsemanship
and follows the bounds at a breakneck speed on a horse
whose training has only been over obstacles, and that kind
of riding is considered good enough for pleasure or war.
The sportsmen of the Continent, French, German, Aus-
HORSES AND RIDING. 61
trian, Belgian, etc., are as bold and as accomplished as any in
England or in America, and have far greater knowledge of
the training and management of the horse. They have, too,
far more varieties of sport ; although Punch and other such
authorities have taught us that the continental Sportsman is
a weak and ridiculous creature. But the chase of the stag,
the wolf, or the boar is no less manly than galloping over
the grass or plough after a bagman imported from the low
countries, or after an aniseed trail, not to mention the dattues
of farm bred pheasants which are not even indigenous.
In Europe, on the continent at least, horsemanship is
considered as important a part of a gentleman’s education as
mathematics or grammar: and the course followed in the
riding schools is long and thorough. After a man can sit
the sauteur in a fairly violent effort, he is prepared to be
confident and easy in any motion that a horse, untrained in
that trying but artificial plunge, is likely to make, and ordi-
nary jumping is afterwards mere child’s play.
After an officer has passed two years in a continental
riding academy he is either a finished horseman or his case
is hopeless. The American who goes abroad to learn horse-
manship, may have the same thorough training in several of
the private schools which are superintended by those who
give instruction exactly similar to that of the government
schools, say that of Pellier or of Lefebore of Paris.
It is a great mistake to frighten recruits or beginners
with horses and their ways. I take it that every man of
normal intelligence fears the horse if unaccustomed to it.
It is very difficult to restore confidence in the minds of those
who are timid in the saddle, and it is not safe for such to
ride, for the most stupid horse soon discovers whether or
not it be the master and becomes a tyrant 1f it dare. ‘It is
not necessary to punish a horse to assert one’s determina.
tion. A composed manner and a firm course is the only way
in which to obtain the real mastery over the animal. No
one but an expert should undertake to dominate a vicious or
a spoiled horse, but one that is simply fresh or gay needs
work only to render it steady. The horse is an animal of
simple ideas, and may often be turned from some mutiny or
62 HORSES AND RIDING.
disorder by surprising it into a new train of thought. A
fixed vice or trick can never be wholly eradicated. A good
horseman may find no difficulty with an animal that has a
vice or trick, but the moment it falls into the hands of an
unready rider it will revert to its misconduct. It is impor-
tant that the owner should know the ancestry of his horses,
even of those of cold blood, and the history of the training
and previous conduct of those he buys. It is better to paya
double price for a horse inscribed in the Kentucky saddle-
horse stud-book than to get hold of an equally promising
horse that has perhaps broncho blood in its veins. In
France any horse fit for a gentleman’s use is inscribed in
some register, and we shall come to that in America in time.
It certainly is not wise to acquire a horse that traces back to
Ainser, a lunatic, to Boston, who transmits blindness, or to
any one that had physical or mental defects. A little in-
quiry will nearly always prove to a purchaser whether he is
looking at a horse of good or bad antecedents.
HORSES AND RIDING. 63
CHARTER XI.
UPON THE TREATMENT OF THE YOUNG HORSE.
It is not only the broncho, or range-horse that can make
a buck jump. Any highly bred colt that has been permitted
to run free until three or four years of age, when first taken
up and saddled can and may plunge as violently as any
“bad” horse from Wyoming. But, by a proper method of
treatment, the domestic horse becomes amenable to disci-
pline, and never or seldom makes any furious resistances
after the first objections to restraint. The motion of the
sauteur of the academies is as disturbing as it is possible for
a pillared horse to make, but the wheels and motions of a
free horse are undoubtedly more difficult to sit. There is
one marked difference between the dvoncho and the domestic
horse, due to ‘‘the call of the wild”’ as well as the method of
training.
The former often submits only when it no longer has
strength to struggle, while the latter usually recognizes the
inevitable. Tight girthing and cruelty in many forms is
undoubtedly answerable for much of the wickedness of the
broncho, and the animal is passing away like the buffalo and
other such forms on our continent, but for a long time we
shall have enough of the blood in cheaply offered western
horses. We have all heard the romantic story of the desert
horse, which from its birth is treated as one of the family
and never knows what liberty signifies. No doubt that is
the proper method of rearing a horse but it is difficult to
apply. If we take up a docile colt at a much later age we
may correct the error by a systematic training, and have a
perfectly satisfactory result, with probably a longer life of
usefulness.
A farmer whom I know took up two colts “to break,’
one from its birth and one that was free until three years of
age, both of the same strains, with the consequence that
64 HORSES AND RIDING.
when the animals reached four years of age and upwards he
could see no difference in their conduct.
The Swiss army being a militia, it is not required that all
its officers, shall maintain horses, and in Thun is the Pferd
Austalt where seven hundred high class chargers are kept on
hand for sale or temporary use. Every year a large number
of “‘remounts”’ are introduced and thoroughly trained under
the supervision of Colonel Vigier von Steinbrugge. The
annual increase of three year olds comes from the farms of
Ireland, France, Hannover and Hungary, the latter being
held in the’ highest esteem, and nearly all of these are
SAUTEUR. SAUMAR SCHOOL.
Photograph by H. Guionie, Saumar.
unbroken; the German horses being the most docile but
the least resistant. Colonel Vigier, as the Swiss love to call
him, is one of the finest riders in Europe, and it would be
difficult to find any one who could supply his place in Thun,
for he is not only the judge of all the horses selected for the
establishment but he personally superintends their training,
and it can be said of his success that of the hundreds of
citizen soldiers who get horses from the Pferd Austalt no
serious accident has ever happened through the misconduct
of any of the horses. Colonel Vigier informed me that
HORSES AND RIDING. 65
many of the three year olds were very violent in their re-
sistances when first taken into hand, but that these game
colts having given submission become perfectly docile and
were the favorites of the men. It was one of his assistants,
Major Schwendiman, who remarked to me that if he had to
ride ten miles in haste he would select a thoroughbred, but
that to ride around the world he would mount a horse from
the Hungarian farm.
At whatever age the young horse is taken in hand, it
should not be required to do any real work until it has be-
came fully developed. Some horses are strong at five years
of age, others due to the peculiarities of breed, or to
their early neglect in the hands of the breeders, do not get
their strength until six or seven years of age. The rule in
the military services of Europe is to put the horse into the
ranks at six years of age, when with care and without acci-
dents, it should be serviceable for ten or twelve years.
Silvana, one of my horses, performed all the manége
movements with grace and agility at twenty-five years of
age, and many harness horses do good work up to the age
of thirty years or even more.
At three years of age at latest, the young horse should
be put upon the longe-line, or be driven before the trainer
in a pair of long reins, to begin the discipline by which it
is to be made obedient and serviceable. If it be put on the
longe-line it should be made to pass about the man, to either
hand equally at about the distance of fifteen feet. From
time to time the colt should be brought to a halt and then
be made to proceed, and it should be taught to change the
direction of the movement. At first it might be better for
the trainer to lead it, by holding the rein close to the head,
in a circle of about thirty feet, and at no time should the
horse be permitted to go more rapidly than a slow trot;
after it passes at the full length of the line, a few pulls up
and down on the line will act as a demand for reducing
speed or for a halt. I always use the side lines from the
_ mouth to the surcingle to keep the horse steady and to pre-
vent the nose being thrust out too far. The man should
never permit the horse to have a straight pull away from
66 HORSES AND RIDING.
him, or the animal may get away and defeat his efforts to
establish discipline.
If the trainer elects the long reins for the purpose of ex-
ercising the colt, the surcingle must have loops on either
side, half way between the back and the belly, through
which the reins must pass so that the horse may not make
undesired turns towards the trainer. This driving the horse
before the man on foot is excellent practice and may be
used in connection with the work on the longe line. The
horse should be longed or driven, for half an hour in the
morning and for the same length of time in the afternoon.
Great care should be taken not to give the horse fright,
and it should be made accustomed to being handled in every
HEAD OF CHARRE. ANGLO-ARAB, QUALIFIE.
Property of the Author.
part. When the horse has confidence in the man the lessons
in leading on the longe or in driving by the reins may be
given on the road to accustom the horse to the sights and
sounds that it must hear in time.
If the trainer conducts these exercises with care and cau-
tion, there should be no difficulty in mounting the horse.
A few lessons with the trainer on foot should be given to the
horse saddled and bridled; the stirrups, in the earliest lessons
looped up, afterwards permitted to dangle. Some day when
there is no wind and no flies to disturb the horse, the trainer
may quietly mount and let the horse move off a few steps
and as quietly dismount. The mounted lessons should be
HORSES AND RIDING. 67
increased in length very gradually, and the horse be taught
to take hold of the bit and to bear the pressure of the rider’s
legs and the taps of the whip.
It is much easier to give the first lessons in the company
of an old steady horse; but the young horse will then fora
long time expect society, and it often becomes restive and
mutinous. I always prefer to train my horses in lonely
places and usually I do not have even a groom. Itisalmost
ARAB FOAL AND DAM.
Photograph by E. L. A.
useless to attempt giving lessons to a young horse in very
severe weather, or when the flies and other insects are
troublesome. In our climate, May and June. and October,
November and December are the best months in which to
begin work with young horses. If a covered manége is con-
venient, it should be used for the early exercises. When
the horse is steady it should be ridden every other day in
the open, be made to cross on the longe; or on the reins, over
68 HORSES AND RIDING.
banks, walls, water and other obstacles, and have exercise
sufficient to keep it in good condition.
One of the first lessons to be taught the young horse is
to approach the trainer in answer to whip taps upon the
chest. At first the horse will draw back and the taps should
be applied until it moves forward freely, then the animal
should be rewarded by a caress. In a very short time a
horse will quickly respond to the touch of the whip, and even
approach the man as he makes the motion of giving the tap.
But in leading a green horse, one not accustomed to obeying
the whip, the man should walk either at the shoulder or in
front of it; that is, he should not face the horse until it is so
accustomed to him that he can do with it as he pleases. A
horse well trained should be so complacent that an acci-
dental blow or hurt should not disturb it. The only time I
can remember giving Alidor a severe stroke with the spur,
was in vaulting into the saddle at the gallop and I did not
discover the injury by any movement of the horse. I have
seen a nervous, sensitive, but highly trained thoroughbred
receive a severe wound from an exploding shell without
moving from its tracks.
The cavesson does not seem in as high favor at present as
it was five and twenty years since, but neither are horses as
well trained as they were in the past. At the same time I
observe that those who are considered the best horsemen
make liberal use of the cavesson in training young horses
and in correcting the fault of those which have been spoiled.
There is no reason why anyone cannot learn how to train
a horse thoroughly. One must study some good method
and practice it as well as he is able. That there will be
many mistakes and awkward situations at first is inevitable,
but the rules are few and simple and in time any man can
bring a horse up to the measure of his possible expertness.
One must have no fear and ‘treat the horse like a gentle-
man,” but he must insist upon the gentleman doing what is
demanded.
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